1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a connector terminal into which a male connector terminal of a male electric connector is inserted.
2. Description of the Related Art
For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009-140678 and 2012-3924 have suggested a connector terminal into which a male connector terminal of a male electric connector is inserted.
FIG. 17A is a perspective view of the connector terminal 1A suggested in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-140678, and FIG. 17B is a side view of the same.
The connector terminal 1A illustrated in FIGS. 17A and 17B is formed by punching an electrically conductive metal plate into a predetermined shape, and bending the plate to the illustrated shape.
The connector terminal 1A has a bottom surface 2 in the form of a flat strip and extending in an axial direction (Z direction). The bottom surface 2 is formed at a front thereof with a female contact 3 into which a male contact (not illustrated) is inserted. The female contact 3 is in the form of a box, and is rectangularly open at opposite ends thereof.
The female contact 3 is formed inside with a resilient contact or a spring 4 making resilient contact with the male contact. The female contact 3 is formed at opposite sidewalls thereof with guide projections 5 each outwardly extending.
FIG. 18 is a partially cross-sectional view of the connector terminal suggested in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-3924.
The illustrated connector terminal 1B is formed by pressing an electrically conductive metal plate. As illustrated in FIG. 18, the connector terminal 1B includes a terminal contact portion 11 with which a male contact (not illustrated) makes contact, a resiliently deformable portion 17 for relaxing a tension force, and a contact 22 with which a printed circuit board (not illustrated) makes contact.
The terminal contact portion 11 has a rectangular cross-section, and is open at opposite ends thereof. The terminal contact portion 11 is formed at an upper surface thereof with a resilient contact piece 12. When a male terminal is inserted into the terminal contact portion 11 through a front thereof, the male terminal is resiliently sandwiched between the resilient contact piece 12 and a bottom of the terminal contact portion 11. Thus, the male terminal makes electric contact with the terminal contact portion 11.
The terminal contact portion 11 is formed at an upper surface thereof with a metal lance 13 making engagement with a housing (not illustrated) when the connector terminal is inserted into the housing. The metal lance 13 is designed to be fixed at one end and to be free at the other end, and has a bent portion 14 between the opposite ends thereof.
In the conventional connector terminals illustrated in FIGS. 17A, 17B and 18, since a male connector terminal makes contact with and compresses the spring portion (that is, the spring 4 and the resilient contact piece 12), the male connector terminal exerts such a tension force on the spring portion that the spring portion is caused to be outwardly deformed. However, since the female contact 3 is designed to be in the form of a box and the spring 4 is connected at a proximal end thereof with the female contact 3, and since the terminal contact portion 11 is designed to be cylindrical, and the resilient contact piece 12 is connected at a proximal end thereof to the terminal contact portion 11, the spring portion is not excessively outwardly deformed together with the female contact 3 or the terminal contact portion 11. Hence, a contact pressure which the connector terminal exerts on the male connector terminals is not reduced. Thus, the box-shaped connector terminal ensures high reliability to electrical connection between itself and a male connector terminal.
As mentioned above, the connector terminal is formed by punching a metal plate, and bending the same. Specifically, a metal plate is punched into a shape having a strip called a carrier, and a plurality of connector terminals in a developed condition, the developed connector terminals being connected in a line to the carrier in a length-wise direction of the carrier. Then, each of the developed connector terminals is bent to thereby form a plurality of the connector terminals still connected to the carrier.
By forming a plurality of the connector terminals in the above-mentioned way, it is possible to insert a plurality of the connector terminals arranged in a line along the carrier, into terminals storage rooms of a housing as they are in a single step.
However, if a terminal main body of a connector terminal formed by punching a metal plate and being bent were in the form of a box, it would be necessary to develop surfaces defining the box into directions intersecting with an axis of the connector terminal, a portion of the plate of which the box is formed has to be wider than the axis.
In such a condition, it would be necessary to align the connector terminals connected to a carrier at a wider pitch. Thus, in order to insert a plurality of the connector terminals into terminal storage rooms in a single step, a space between adjacent terminal storage rooms in a housing has to be increased as well as a space between adjacent connector terminals.
Accordingly, the box-shaped connector terminal prevents reduction in a contact pressure which the connector terminal exerts on a male connector terminal, but is accompanied with a problem that it is not possible to narrow a pitch between adjacent connector terminals.
In addition, there is a problem that in order to insert a plurality of connector terminals arranged at a small pitch into terminal storage rooms in a housing, connector terminals have to be separated from a carrier one by one, and inserted into each of the separated connector terminals into a terminal storage room.